Welcome to the Saints supporters page
N.R.F.C.

"A HOOLIGANS SPORT PLAYED BY
GENTLEMEN"

This is the home page of the Northampton Rugby Football
Club. It includes some current news
and statistics aswell as a look at future
and previous games this season. Information is available
on the following:

There is also a Five Nations
section with a look at the season ahead. It includes facts and
photos of the matches aswell as opions on the game.

NORTHAMPTON RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Northampton Rugby Football Club Ltd as they are now officially
known, was established in 1880 under the original title of Northampton
St. James (Saints) by Rev Samuel Wathen Wigg.His original concept
was to promote 'order' to his younger parish members by creating
a youth rugby club, with the philosophy of a 'hooligan sport
designed to turn them into gentlemen'. Little did he know that
his youth team would become one of the biggest rugby clubs in
Britain.

The Saints home ground is Franklins
Gardens, approximate capacity 7,500 (1995) and is situated in
the South West of Northampton Town. The club has produced many
World Class rugby players throughout the years, such as:

Edgar Mobbs

Eric Coley

Jeff Butterfield

Gary Pearce

Wayne Shelford

Ian Hunter

Tim Rodber

Martin Bayfield

Gregor Townsend

The 1995/96 spell in Courage League Division 2 has been one of
the momentous seasons in Northampton Rugby Football Clubs
history. It began with a series of record-breaking victories in
the league, averaging 50 points a game. Then in the late Autumn
the club became a Limited Company following Keith Barwell's unanimous
buy-out of the club membership. And most recently no less than 8
Saints players have been involved in Five Nations Rugby.The
quartet of Bayfield, Rodber, Dawson & Grayson for England,
Townsend & Dods for Scotland and Bell & Clarke for
Ireland.

Much of the success in the last season has been due to the
Director of Rugby, Ian McGeechan (Ex Scotland & Lions coach). He
revitalised a downbeat team newly relegated to Division 2 by
injecting badly needed confidence in the team and inspiring them
to play an open expansive style of rugby not unlike that played
in the Southern Hemisphere.Team performance and recent international
caps support Ian McGeechan's vision:"I want this club to be
the best, not only in the UK, but also in Europe."

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